The starter.  AutoZone tested it TWICE on their fancy Gadget-Ma-Tron 2000,  said it was good.
My mechanic (a man w' a heart of gold) said it was the starter.  I 'made' them give me a new one.  Put it on- it cranked right up.  


I have  a 1996 GMC Jimmy.

Drove home yesterday, parked it.  Got in this morning, turned the key- nothing.

Dash lights up,  battery/starter are good (according to AutoZone), lights come on etc.

Replaced cable from battery to starter- no joy.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Battery..... Even though it "tested" ok, I bet the battery is going out. When was it last replaced?

Is it a straight drive?  I've seen a couple of early 90's Blazers that needed some adjustment on the switch that detects whether or not the clutch is pressed.  That same switch can also keep the cruise control from working.z

Sounds like the neutral saftey switch. Try moving the gearshift around after turning the key then put it back in park and ty starting. If its a manual try turning thr key and moving th clutch petal. Turn on the lights and try to start do they go out?

Quoted: Battery..... Even though it "tested" ok, I bet the battery is going out. When was it last replaced?

Battery is less than 1 yr old.    AutoZone Custom Deluxe  Dual Shizznit model, 900 or so cranking amps. Starter is about 1.5 y/o

Your alternator is bad and it drained the battery.

Quoted: Sounds like the neutral saftey switch. Try moving the gearshift around after turning the key then put it back in park and ty starting. If its a manual try turning thr key and moving th clutch petal. Turn on the lights and try to start do they go out?

Auto tranny.  Tried that- no luck.  when in park it *sounds like* a relay  wants to kick in.  In gear, no relay sound.

Lights do not go out when trying to crank.

Quoted: Is it a straight drive?  I've seen a couple of early 90's Blazers that needed some adjustment on the switch that detects whether or not the clutch is pressed.  That same switch can also keep the cruise control from working.z

I had a 96 S-10  straight shift and i had that trouble with the clutch switch not engaging, try push starting it if its a manual tranny, could be in the ignition switch too. I dont put too much faith in Autozone, carry to a dealership and have them put it on their computer.

Quoted: Your alternator is bad and it drained the battery.

alternator is less than a year old. battery is not dead- lights/horn etc.  will work.

I suggest a new battery even though its new. Just my opinion.

by pass the solenoid, and see if it will turn over and run.

Battery is fine if it was bad you'd know.

Define "trying to crank."  Does the engine turn over?  If so, check your fuel pump.

Did you check the ground?
Do a voltage drop on all of the conections.  By placeing the leads of a multi-meter on either side of a connection, and applying power, ie: turning the key, you can see how much it is taking to force power through the conection.  The lower the better.  Anything over .2V should be cleaned or replaced.  It is easy to do with a buddy, and MUCH more accurate than a resistance measurement.  Remeber that ALL the conections need to be checked.  That means both battery posts, battery cables, power conection, soloniod conection, ground conection, ground cable(block to Batt. or body and body to batt.).  If it fails this test fix the wiring in question.

I would say neutal saftey switch then. Try putting it in nuetral and starting. I dont think a 96 will though. Anyone know if a truck this new will start in neutral? Foot needs to be on the brake if it will.

Had this happen to my car a few weeks ago. Lights, radio, dome light came on and were strong, but it just clicked when I tried to start it.  It ended up being a loose negative battery cable.

My Girl friends 96 S-10 done the same thing ... after checking batt , starter , ground ,  ect , ect ,  
EL - Cheapo ignition switch went bad . Replaced it  cured it .

Quoted: Did you check the ground? Do a voltage drop on all of the conections.  By placeing the leads of a multi-meter on either side of a connection, and applying power, ie: turning the key, you can see how much it is taking to force power through the conection.  The lower the better.  Anything over .2V should be cleaned or replaced.  It is easy to do with a buddy, and MUCH more accurate than a resistance measurement.  Remeber that ALL the conections need to be checked.  That means both battery posts, battery cables, power conection, soloniod conection, ground conection, ground cable(block to Batt. or body and body to batt.).  If it fails this test fix the wiring in question.

My mechanic is gonna do me a solid &  make a house call.  He suggested everything you said, but I don't time to do that.  

The damn thing had to break when I'm busier than a one-legged man at an ass kicking contest.
He's enclined to think the ignition switch is bad.

check to see whether the battery cables are tight....if so...bum starter......so it is only a year or so old...I've pulled bad parts out of the box new.

Quoted: I have  a 1996 GMC Jimmy. Drove home yesterday, parked it.  Got in this morning, turned the key- nothing. Dash lights up,  battery/starter are good (according to AutoZone), lights come on etc. Replaced cable from battery to starter- no joy. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

late model GMs have an antitheft device built into the ignition switch. This electro-mechanical device is poorly built and will generally go bad after around 60K. If you'er unlucky more often then that. This is a comon prob and will set you back aroud 350U$
I'll send you a bill........

it's a '96 Chevy and the calendar just rolled to '06. You do the math.  

Simple diagnostics:

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To test the battery while in the vehicle, at home, with no help from Autozone...
Turn the headlights on, and crank the engine over.

If the lights are on full bright, and nearly go out when you turn the key, the battery is dead.
It might not be shot, but probably is.  Batteries can do wierd things as they turn to scrap.
Usually, when a battery is simply running out of juice, the headlights will not come on full
bright.  

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If the battery checks out okay, you can test the starter.  (next most likely candidate)

If an automatic transmission, make sure the car is in PARK!
If standard transmission, make sure the car is in neutral!

Run a jumper cable from the positive terminal of the battery to the positive lug of the
starter motor.  Touch the lug with the cable.  If the starter cranks over, you know
that either the ignition switch is bad, OR the starter selonoid is bad.

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The starter solenoid has 3 or 4 wires on it.  The two big heavy wires are the wire from
the battery, and the wire to the starter.  (unless it is the kind that is on the starter)
One of the smaller wires is voltage from the ignition switch.
If you touch this with the jumper from the battery, it should click, and the starter
should spin.

I don't recall exactly what the 4th wire is for.  (another small one)  
But it can be touched with power from the battery to without harm.

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If starter motor AND the solenoid checked out okay, it could be a neutral safety switch,
OR your ignition switch.  You will have to find the neutral safety switch and jumper the
terminals together.  Turn the key.  If the engine starts, you found the problem.
If the engine doesn't start, there is something wrong with the ignition switch.

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Since you said you hear the relay clicking, I'm assuming that is the starter solenoid making the noise.
(there are other relays for other things)

This is a good thing, in that it shows your ignition switch and selonoid are both working.

So it sure sounds like your starter is shot.

A shade tree mechanic would literally grab a small hand sledge and give it a whack.

If it is stuck, a good jolt will likely knock it loose.

This is only a temporary fix.  Get it replaced.